Structural vs non-structural flood-alleviation measures in the Yangtze Delta: a pilot survey of floodplain residents' preferences.
- Authors
- Type
- Published Article
- Journal
- Disasters
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1996
- Volume
- 20
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 93–110
- Identifiers
- PMID: 8689253
- Source
- Medline
- License
- Unknown
Abstract
This study was initiated to test if structural flood-alleviation measures were more popular than non-structural measures among the floodplain residents of the Yangtze Delta, because of the long tradition of "living with embankments and other flood control structures'. The results of a pilot questionnaire survey among 239 respondents from four sample villages of two typical floodplains of the delta indicated that, contrary to expectations, the non-structural measure of flood insurance attracted more favourable responses (97 per cent) than any one of the structural measures, although the latter were also frequently selected by the respondents (64-92 per cent). A number of multivariate logit regressions between each of the preferred flood-alleviation measures and the respondents' flood adaptations identified some of the determinants of these preferences. For a more complete explanation of the causes of popularity of various flood-alleviation measures, further research should incorporate a behavioural model with trade-offs for alternative measures.